Many serious disease states are accompanied by a condition known as cachexia, which refers to loss of body cell mass. Body cell mass (BCM) consists of muscle mass, visceral mass and immune cell mass. BCM is the most active body component of the human body, counting ninety-five percent of all metabolic activity. A five percent loss of BCM leads to changed morbidity, loss of muscle strength, altered metabolism and increased risk of infection. A forty percent loss can result in death.
Examples of conditions in which cachexia plays a role in determining the outcome of the underlying disease cover a range of the major health problems today. In rheumatoid cachexia, rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients lose thirteen to fifteen percent of BCM. Two-thirds of RA patients have cachexia, and this results in a two- to five-fold higher mortality. Other related conditions include rheumatoid cachectic obesity and hypercytokinaemic cachexia. Cancer-related cachexia contributes significantly to the morbidity and mortality, also affecting a patient's ability to tolerate potentially life-saving therapies.
Because of the common role of activin A in a number of widespread diseases, all of which have high rates of mortality, there is a long-felt need in the art for compositions and methods to prevent or reverse the disease-related cachexia. Such compositions and methods are provided herein.